Saturday arrived—and you know what that meant? That’s right. It was time to make money.

  Ethan was up before most of the dormitory had even stirred, already dressed and half awake as he stepped into the dormitory’s entrance hall. The job board, bolted to the stone wall and surrounded by fluttering parchment notices, was his first stop of the day. After scanning through the options, he grabbed a few delivery quests for some easy coins before heading to the market.

  With the list in hand, he made a brisk trip to the market to purchase the required items and made his way back to the academy, delivering each item personally and receiving money in exchange. By the time the sun had risen fully, Ethan had completed three round back trips, and the fourth was almost finished as he delivered of stamina potions to a group of third-year warriors training in the training field.

  He approached carefully, mindful of stray sword swings or flying dirt. Just as he handed over the crate of potions, a familiar voice called out from behind him.

  “Ethan! There you are!”

  He turned and froze.

  Jogging toward him with her usual energy was Professor Rhea—her long red hair tightly braided down her back, swaying with every step. Cd in her athletic training gear, she looked like she’d been on her morning route, but apparently decided to make a detour just for him.

  “Professor? Uh... is this about what we talked about the other day?” he asked hesitantly.

  “Exactly!” she said, pnting her hands on her hips. “I thought about it again and changed my mind!”

  “Wait—what!?”

  “I can’t give you special treatment just because your situation is... slightly different from the others.”

  “Slightly”? Ethan blinked. You call being cursed with over six spells ‘slightly different’?

  “So, I came up with a compromise,” Rhea continued. “Since solo missions are too dangerous for you, I’ve arranged with the Guild to restrict your jobs to party missions only. You’re officially cleared to take quests again—as long as you’ve got a team.”

  Ethan’s mouth opened, but he never got the chance to reply. Rhea waved, already jogging off again.

  “Welcome to Group B Ethan! Good luck! And don’t die!”

  And just like that, she was gone.

  Ethan stood there, stunned. “...Damn. What now?”

  On the one hand, this was exactly what he’d wanted—permission to go on real missions so he can accumute academy credits and fill his missions quota. But on the other hand... it was a complete ambush. He’d already convinced himself to accept his fate and work hard on the other fronts. Now he needed scrap all his pns and find a party just to survive!

  “Great! And of course, she tells me this on Saturday when everyone’s scattered!”

  He sighed, already starting to wander. Most students used their weekends for errands, missions, or go out to have fun. Of course there were a few who used it for studying, but those were a minority which didn't include most of his friends...

  No, wait, Eliza was in this group! Should I call her out?

  But before he could do that, as he neared the front gate, fortune smiled on him.

  Two familiar figures were approaching.

  The first was Cra, a 17-year-old warrior with an athletic and toned build. She carried a longsword across her back with effortless confidence. Her sharp golden eyes were focused and alert, and her silver-blonde hair was neatly braided. Her posture had a calm, casual air, but everything about her suggested strength and discipline.

  Beside her was Fiona, just half a head shorter, with long red hair tied in a ponytail that bounced with every step. Her bright green eyes lit up when she spotted him. She wore a short sword and buckler, and her lean, muscur frame moved with a fluid, flexible grace. Energetic and full of charm, she always seemed like she was about to leap into action—or into trouble.

  “Cra! Fiona! Good morning!” Ethan called out, hurrying toward them.

  “Eh? Ethan?” Cra blinked in surprise.

  “Oh-ho! Long time no see, stranger!” Fiona grinned, tossing him a wave.

  “Heading out for a mission?”

  “Indeed,” Cra confirmed with a nod.

  “What—gonna ask to join us?” Fiona teased, eyes gleaming.

  “Actually, yeah. Can I come with you?” Ethan asked with a hopeful smile.

  Both girls froze.

  “...Eh?” Cra said.

  “...What?” echoed Fiona.

  “Just hear me out.” Ethan quickly expined the sudden bombshell Professor Rhea had dropped on him—how he was restricted to party missions now and had no one lined up.

  Cra looked uncertain. “Hmm... I don’t know. We weren’t pnning on dragging someone untested along. What if you got hurt?”

  “Oh, rex!” Fiona said, elbowing her. “Ethan’s smart, he can take care of himself. Haven't you heard how he confronted those thugs? Sure, he got beaten up, but he stood his ground for over half an hour before reinforcements arrive! This time we will be right beside him! And if something goes wrong, we can even use him as bait!”

  “You’re seriously saying that to my face?” Ethan deadpanned.

  “What? You’d rather we pn it behind your back?” she winked.

  “You—ugh…”

  Fiona ughed. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Don’t worry, we’re not the type to abandon our friends.”

  Cra sighed. “Fine. We’ll take a light mission to test things. If you can hold your own, maybe next time we’ll go for something bigger. But if you fall behind… Sorry Ethan but we will kick you out.”

  “That’s fair,” Ethan said, nodding. “Thanks. That’s all I ask.”

  “Well then!” Fiona cpped her hands together. “Let’s go hunt something easy and make some coin!”

  The trio made their way across the cobbled streets to the Adventurer’s Guild, its tall wooden doors already wide open to accommodate the morning rush. Even from outside, the low hum of conversation, the occasional ctter of armor, and the scent of ink, sweat, and parchment wafted into the street.

  Ethan instinctively gnced toward the massive mission board that dominated one side of the hall—but to his surprise, Cra didn’t break stride.

  “Wait,” he asked, catching up, “aren’t we going to the board?”

  Cra gave a slight shake of her head. “That’s for full-fledged adventurers or graduates. We’re still Academy students. We need to get assignments directly from the receptionist.”

  “Oh,” Ethan blinked. “So what about us?”

  “In our case,” Fiona chimed in, fshing a grin while pointing forward. “We get the filtered menu directly with the receptionist.”

  They approached the reception counter and joined a short line of simirly uniformed students, many chatting idly while waiting their turn. It took several minutes before the line shuffled forward enough for them to reach the front.

  The receptionist was a sharp-eyed woman in her mid-twenties with tied-back auburn hair and a clean uniform lined with guild colors. She looked up from her paperwork and broke into a smile.

  “Well, well, if it isn’t Fiona again. Can’t stay away, huh?”

  “You know me,” Fiona said with a pyful smirk. “I live for the thrill.”

  Then the woman’s eyes flicked over to Ethan. She scanned him quickly, then gnced back and forth between the two girls with a sly grin.

  “So,” she said, resting her chin on one hand, “which one of you scored the young boy?”

  The reaction was instant.

  “W-Wait, it’s not like that—!” Cra stammered, her sharp composure cracking as she turned a noticeable shade of pink.

  “D-Don’t say weird things like that!” Fiona filed with both hands, red-faced. “I’m too young to be tied down!”

  Seeing their embarrassment, Ethan decided to throw them a lifeline.

  “Ah, actually, I already have a girlfriend,” he said smoothly. “These two are just friends of mine.”

  Two gasps echoed in perfect unison.

  “Wha—you have a girlfriend?” Fiona leaned in.

  “Since when?” Cra asked, blinking rapidly.

  Ethan scratched the back of his head with an innocent shrug. “When, you ask? Hmm… It’s hard to say. The situation just kind of… developed naturally, I guess.”

  “That’s so unfair!” Cra groaned, folding her arms. “Every day we’re surrounded by boys, and not a single one bothers to come talk to us!”

  “Right! Right!” Fiona chimed in, throwing her arms up in exasperation. “And when we finally find one who does, turns out he’s already taken!”

  Ethan blinked. “Wait, were you two seriously thinking of me that way?”

  Fiona waved a hand dismissively. “Not really.”

  “No way,” Cra said ftly, her cheeks faintly pink.

  Ethan gave an exaggerated sigh, tilting his head. “Then… what exactly is the problem here?”

  “That’s exactly the problem, Ethan!” Cra shot back.

  “Yeah!” Fiona added. “It’s always like this! Every guy we know eventually pairs off, and the two of us just stay single!”

  Cra pointed dramatically at him. “Be honest with us, Ethan! What do you think of how we look? Are we really that ugly!?”

  Ethan scratched his chin, looking between the two. “Not at all. I mean, while I wouldn’t call you the queens of the Academy, you’re definitely both above average.”

  “Then why doesn’t anyone chase after us!?” Fiona wailed.

  “Yeah, WHY!?” Cra echoed, throwing her hands up.

  Ethan blinked again. “Didn’t Daniel ask one of you out before?”

  “Daniel doesn’t count!” Cra and Fiona barked in unison.

  “He asks out every girl!” Cra crified with a huff.

  “Exactly!” Fiona said, rolling her eyes. “He’s not serious about anyone. And he never even asked us again!”

  “Maybe because…” Ethan hesitated, raising an eyebrow, “you didn’t show any interest?”

  “That’s not true!” Cra objected, her voice shooting up in pitch. “I even—”

  “Ahem!”

  A gruff voice coughed from behind them in line.

  An annoyed adventurer with a tired look grumbled, arms crossed. “Hey, save the drama for after-hours, will ya? Some of us have actual work to do.”

  “Right, right!” the receptionist ughed, raising both hands in mock surrender. “Sorry, sorry. Back to business.”

  She reached below the counter and pulled out three sealed mission sheets, pcing them neatly in front of them.

  “Here are your options for today. First: a farm near the western outskirts has been dealing with a lone wolf stealing livestock—needs tracking and likely elimination. Second: goblin extermination near a small bridge to the north. Third: a scouting mission to find the location of a possible goblin vilge in the woods east of the city. Pick your poison.”

  Ethan eyed the sheets. “So many goblin requests…”

  Fiona groaned dramatically. “Ugh, don’t get me started. They’re a pgue. You can squash a dozen and two dozen more crawl out of the mud the next day.”

  “Seriously,” Cra muttered, crossing her arms. “They breed fast and grow up even faster.”

  Ethan blinked at their remarks, quietly wondering if this world followed game logic. Maybe goblins just... spawn naturally in certain areas? Like preset enemy zones?

  He didn’t voice the thought aloud. Even if he did, they wouldn't understand him. So it was better to remain quiet over being considered crazy.

  “Alright,” Cra said, tapping a finger to her chin. “What do we think?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t mind a warm-up,” Fiona said. “But lone wolves are usually cowards, and if it run away it'll be a pain to chase. Goblins, on the other hand, are both weak and slow.”

  “I’d rather avoid the scouting one for now,” Cra added. “Too much walking and too little payout unless we find something.”

  Ethan gnced between them. “Then we’re leaning toward the goblins by the bridge?”

  The trio exchanged a few more quiet words before nodding in agreement.

  “Alright,” Cra said, picking up one of the sheets. “We’ll take the goblin extermination near the northern bridge. Standard combat, not too far, and a good way to test our coordination.”

  The receptionist gave a satisfied nod. With practiced efficiency, she stamped the sheet with the Guild’s official seal, tore off the bottom portion, and handed over the stub along with a sealed envelope.

  “Good choice,” she said. “But watch your fnks—there’ve been reports of archers in that group.”

  Cra accepted both items. “Noted.”

  With that, their mission was officially underway.

  As they exited the Guild hall, Cra cracked open the envelope and read the details aloud for the others:

  “Expected difficulty: two stars.Expected monsters: eight goblins, three archers, zero shamans or higher-grade threats.Tactics: Ambushing travelers from below the northern bridge.Poison usage: None detected.Captives: No signs of captured women.Note: Possible traps set near the bridge sides—unconfirmed.”

  Ethan scratched the back of his neck. “How long will it take to reach the bridge?”

  “Hm… two to three hours on foot,” Cra said. “Half an hour by horse. Maybe even less.”

  “Are we taking horses?” Ethan asked, perking up.

  “Do you have a horse?” Fiona asked, eyebrows raised with a teasing grin.

  “…No,” Ethan admitted, defting slightly.

  “Then why mention the time by horse?” he asked, confused.

  “Oh, that’s for worst-case pnning,” Fiona replied casually. “It’s good to know how fast backup could arrive if things go south.”

  Ethan blinked. That hadn’t occurred to him. The idea sent a chill down his spine.

  They passed through the city gate shortly after. Each of them presented their Adventurer Academy booklets to the guards stationed there. The man on duty gave a brisk nod and a smile.

  “Stay sharp out there. Don't try to show off. Good luck.”

  He lightly tapped Ethan's shouder and allowed them to pass.